What is an American?

The figure in this work strides forward in an assured way, but the person’s identity is unclear. Some may see a modern woman in a pantsuit, and others will notice the bandolier-style bag and see a Native man in a French military jacket. Jaune Quick-to-See Smith posits that one’s answer to the question “What is an American?” reveals which history lessons, gender roles, and American iconography the viewer identifies with most. The hand bleeds red, white, and blue. The location of the wound references the stigmata, a holy symbol in Christianity, and reminds us that colonization brought Christianity, a destabilizing force for Native lifeways. Yet this same blood could signal the high rate of service of Native people in the U.S. military. What is an American? The artist asks us to ponder this question and what the answer means for our nation’s future.